“This is an outstanding waterway of America,” said WWALS member Debra Johnson. “It is the legendary Suwannee River.” And the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline drilling under it is a very bad idea. (Events: facebook or meetup)
Kenneth Amaro, FCN, 11 February 2016,
Suwannee residents face setback but vow to fight proposed natural gas pipeline,
They have already made their opposition known to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is Continue reading
It’s not for shipping water to Jacksonville, it’s not much changed from last year, no money is allocated for it yet, and people should get involved in the process, said Noah Valenstein, the new Executive Director of the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), in answer to questions from Jim Tatum and Merillee Malwitz-Jipson of Our Santa Fe River (OSFR) and me about the Falling Creek Aquifer Recharge Project at the Columbia County Commission meeting last Thursday, 4 February 2016. Plus Sabal Trail, Amtrak and that chicken farm.
Valenstein answered Jim during the Commission meeting. See also Jim’s report for OSFR. I stayed afterwards and had a longer discussion with Valenstein. Some notes from memory: Continue reading
One of the remotest segments of the Withlacoochee River, yet
with easy access, and when the water was high enough. 
Also one of the least-attended WWALS outings, because we
hadn’t really gotten the hang of
announcing outings yet. But that just made it more intimate for
the three of us who went. I got especially intimate with the river,
choosing to swim twice. I always choose to swim when the water
comes up to meet me…. Eventually I learned not to lean towards
the side you’re tipping towards.
The closest USGS gauge is Continue reading
Maybe soon this February baker’s dozen of wastewater spills will be a thing of the past, but for now it’s deja vu similar to but worse than last February.
It looks like Valdosta has updated,
as repeatedly asked,
its
schedule for wastewater project completion,
with the force main project now aimed at July 2016 and relocation of the
Withlacoochee WasteWater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for August 2017.
See also Valdosta PR 22 January 2016,
Withlacoochee Aerial Sewer Mains Replacement Project.
Those schedule changes are mentioned in the most recent Valdosta News. It does not, however, say which watersheds the various spills affect. I have added * for Alapaha River watershed and ** for Withlacoochee River watershed. It’s not that hard, and Valdosta has a water management plan that spells this all out, with maps. One Mile Branch** and Two Mile Branch** flow into Sugar Creek**, which goes into the Withlacoochee River**. Knights Creek* goes into Mud Creek* which goes into the Alapahoochee* River and then the Alapaha River*, eventually joining the Suwannee River in Florida, as does the Withlacoochee. Valdosta Utilities and Public Relations know all that. But why should every citizen, Continue reading
The water level continued up from yesterday, when it was
17.66 feet on the USGS guage at Skipper Bridge in Lowndes County, Georgia
at 9:46 AM when I took these pictures.
Flood stage is 15 feet.
It was so high you could have floated over the chain link fence the county
put in when
it replaced the bridge, thus preventing normal use of this bridge
as a Withlacoochee River access point on the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.
-jsq
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
The recent posts about Backyard hens,
Valdosta City School Gardens,
Planting by the moon,
and Essential oils, were from sessions in yesterday’s South Georgia Growing Local 2016 Continue reading
He answered a few questions about Falling Creek Aquifer Recharge.
See Questions to SRWMD Director for context. More detail to come.
-jsq
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Fireworks at last Monday’s Suwannee BOCC,
although after they had already voted to
hike to the Suwannee River soon<.
WWALS board member Chris Mericle, who will be their guide, also spoke in the meeting.
The recent issuance of certificates by FERC called out the Suwannee River and Suwannee and Hamilton Counties by name, so action by those counties is now even more important.
Paulo Salazar, WTXL, 3 February 2016, Sabal Trail Pipeline Causing Concern for Suwannee County Residents, Continue reading
The Columbia County News has made it easier to ask questions, especially about a very expensive river and aquifer project.
When: 5:30 PM Thursday 4 February 2016
Where:
Columbia BOCC
372 West Duval Street
Lake City, Florida
What: Why is the SRMD board going to vote next week on sucking up Suwannee River water through a 48″ pipe to Falling Creek Park in an Aquifer Recharge scheme?
Stew Lilker, Columbia County News, 3 February 2016, Suwannee River Water Management Chief at the County 5 Thursday Night: Questions Accepted,
It has been said that fresh clean water is Continue reading
Please join us for a documentary about property rights and the environment vs. pipelines (PDF; facebook event; meetup event). Yes, FERC has issued certificates for Sabal Trail, but the fight is not over.
When: 6:30 PM Friday February 12th
Where: Live Oak Womans Club,
1308 11TH St SW, Live Oak, FL 32064
What:
View the film:
“At What Cost? Pipelines, Pollution and Eminent Domain in the
Rural South”
A documentary film by Mark Albertin
Video Trailer
Thanks: to Push Back the Pipeline for getting this movie made
This film is about the Kinder Morgan petroleum products Palmetto Pipeline proposed across coastal Georgia to Jacksonville, but the issues are the same for Spectra Energy’s proposed fracked methane Sabal Trail pipeline from Continue reading